Traitors
by Cupcake3
Summary: A new student arrives at Hogwarts with a dangerous secret. As a result, tempers flare, hearts are broken, people are kidnapped and two Slytherins surprise everyone.
1. The New Boy

Disclaimer: I own nothing (sob!) except for Vinnie and the plot. If I DID own HP, Sean would be in the third movie!  
  
A/N: I wrote this entire story before the 5th book came out so anything that happens in the 5th book is irrelevant to this story.  
  
Chapter 1: The New Boy  
  
"What do you think he'll be like?" Ron eagerly asked Harry.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The American student! Who else has everybody been talking about all summer?"  
  
Quite frankly, Harry didn't see what all the fuss was about. An American student, big deal. Dudley had had an American classmate at school the year before and whined all summer about how obnoxious he was. Apparently he had egged Dudley's dorm room. Twice. Harry was glad Dudley finally got what he deserved, but he still didn't understand why Ron and Hermione were so excited.  
  
"I wonder if he plays Quidditch," Ron continued.  
  
"How do you know it's a he?" Harry asked.  
  
"Fred and George told me his name's Vinnie. Have you ever known a girl named Vinnie?"  
  
Harry shook his head and the duo waited in silence until Hermione arrived a few seconds later, looking even more excited than usual to begin school.  
  
"Have you heard anything new about him?" she asked breathlessly. "Do you know what he looks like?  
  
"I thought you didn't like guys just for their looks," Harry reminded her.  
  
"Well, um, ahem. Sometimes a person's intelligence can be reflected by the way they look," she said in a lame attempt to cover up.  
  
"Oh, ok," Ron said in fake agreement. "coughLOCKHARTcough"  
  
"Catching a cold, Weasel?" said a voice behind them. The group turned around.  
  
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron asked.  
  
"Just thought I'd say hello to my three favorite people. Potty, Weasel, and Furry Mudblood. Keeping your hair under control, Granger?" Malfoy asked sarcastically.  
  
"Why don't you go hang out with the rest of the pondscum, Malfoy?" Ron said.  
  
"Was I talking to you, Carrot Top? I see your clothes aren't the only secondhand things you have. Your brain appears to be the same way."  
  
Ron lunged at Malfoy but was stopped by Harry and Hermione.  
  
"Just leave us alone or I'll let him go," Harry threatened.  
  
Malfoy's mouth went dry and he took a small step backwards. Ron looked significantly taller and stronger this year and he didn't want to push his luck. He instead smirked and said coolly, "Fine, I'll leave, but I heard the American chap went to school a day early and got sorted into Slytherin. Heard he's a bloody good Quidditch player, too. Tough luck for you, Potter." And with a flick of Ron's shirt collar, he walked off.  
  
"Stupid git," Ron said angrily as Harry and Hermione dragged him towards the Hogwarts Express. Thankfully, the trip went without further incident and before they knew it, the train was slowing down as it approached Hogwarts. Everyone got off and headed towards the school where they filed into the Great Hall and awaited the sorting of the first years. And of course, the American.  
  
"I heard he's eight feet tall!" Dean exclaimed.  
  
"I heard he's so strong he can crunch a bowling ball!" Neville yelled. "With his pinkie!"  
  
"I heard he's cuter than Prince William," Ginny said shyly.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe he was friends with these people. "How do we know for sure he's a he?"  
  
The entire end of the Gryffindor table was silent.  
  
"Well of course he's a he! The transfer went through the Ministry. Dad saw the papers and accidentally let it slip to Fred and George," Ron explained. "Even they wouldn't lie about something this cool."  
  
Harry sighed as everyone continued to gossip. Across the room at the Slytherin table, he saw Malfoy talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle. He was no doubt telling them what an amazing Quidditch player the American was.  
  
Just then, the doors to the Great Hall opened and Hagrid led the first years in. Strangely, there was one girl who towered over the rest. The sorting began, but most students were more interested in the strange girl than the first years. Finally, she was the last to be sorted.  
  
"Lavinia Sinclair," Professor McGonogall called.  
  
The girl walked to the stool, sat down, and Professor McGonogall put the sorting hat on her head. It hesitated.  
  
"Hmm.You have some interesting qualities and an interesting background. You'll go far in either house.SLYTH - no. GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers as the Slytherins groaned and rolled their eyes. Lavinia blushed and walked over to the table where she plopped down between Harry and Ron, who had quickly made room for her.  
  
"Hey," she said in an American accent. "I'm Vinnie." 


	2. Potions

Chapter 2: Potions  
  
None of the boys at that end of the Gryffindor table said anything. They were in shock, especially Harry and Ron. Harry thought she resembled one of the Weird Sisters and Ron was struck by how pretty she was. Hermione and Ginny exchanged an annoyed glance before Hermione smiled and said,  
  
"Hi. I'm Hermione Granger, this is Ginny Weasley, that's her brother Ron, the one to your right is Harry Potter, the boy next to him is Neville Longbottom, and next to Ginny is Dean Thomas."  
  
"It's nice to meet you guys," Vinnie said and she turned to Harry. "So, are you the Harry Potter? The Boy Who Lived?"  
  
"Um, yeah."  
  
"Awesome! Oh, sorry. I bet you get this all the time, it's just -- AAHH! What the heck?"  
  
Vinnie had seen the food magically appear out the corner of her eye and was now staring openmouthed at her glass, which was filled with pumpkin juice. A few people from other tables, especially Slytherin, had turned around to look, and snickered.  
  
"Oh, that. House elves send up the food by magic," Ron explained. "It's perfectly fine." He then demonstrated by taking a large bite of bread. "Fee?"  
  
"Uh.yeah." Vinnie replied. "So, what classes do you guys have here?"  
  
"Well, there's Charms --" Hermione began.  
  
"And Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ron interrupted.  
  
"And Divination," Harry added and Ron snorted with laughter.  
  
"And let's not forget Potions," Neville said. Everyone groaned.  
  
"What's so bad about Potions?" Vinnie asked.  
  
"Professor Snape," Harry answered.  
  
"And."  
  
"And he hates Gryffindors. Rather, he hates me. He just likes to make my life difficult."  
  
"He shouldn't do that. Your life's been pretty difficult." Harry was stunned. How did she know that? Maybe she misspoke. "What do you mean by that?" he asked nervously.  
  
Vinnie realized what she had just said. "Well, um.I just heard a few things from my dad."  
  
"Who's your dad?" Harry asked somewhat suspiciously.  
  
"I'd rather not talk about it, if that's ok."  
  
"Oh. Sorry."  
  
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Nobody knew what to say in a situation like this. Finally, Neville spoke. "Sooo. What year are you in?"  
  
"Sixth."  
  
"Us too!" Ron exclaimed a bit too eagerly. "Well, except for Ginny. She's fifth."  
  
"Great! And girls can play Quidditch here, right?"  
  
"You'll have to try out," Harry said. "What position are you?"  
  
"Seeker."  
  
"Oh. Well, I'm the Seeker for Gryffindor but maybe you can be my substitute in case I'm sick."  
  
"That'd be awesome."  
  
The meal continued and Vinnie felt very welcome. Once the meal was over, the students headed up to their respective towers. The next day marked the beginning of classes and Quidditch tryouts.  
  
The next morning the sun was shining in through the window in the dorm that Vinnie, Hermione, Ginny, Lavender, and Parvati shared. It hit Vinnie in the face. She rolled over and looked hat her watch. 7:03. Class didn't start until nine. She had plenty of time.  
  
Suddenly, she felt somebody shaking her.  
  
"Vinnie! Get up NOW!" Hermione screeched.  
  
"Mmulfqx," Vinnie groaned. "Whaddya doin'?"  
  
"You fell back asleep! I woke you up at 8 but you fell back asleep! We have Potions in 18 minutes!"  
  
Vinnie was suddenly wide awake. Potions. Snape. Mean. Hates Gryffindors. Crap. She groaned as she threw her robes on, ran a brush through her hair, and hurried after Hermione. They raced through the corridors but still reached Snape's classroom a few seconds after the bell rang. Hermione took a deep breath and opened the door.  
  
"You're late, Miss Granger," snapped Professor Snape. He looked at Vinnie over the top of Hermione's head. "You, too. Are you Miss Sinclair?" "Yes."  
  
"Both of you sit. Twenty points from Gryffindor."  
  
"Twenty points?!" Vinnie hissed to Hermione.  
  
"Something you'd like to share with the class, Miss Sinclair?"  
  
"Actually --"  
  
"NO!" Hermione quickly intervened. "She was just, uh, making sure she heard you correctly."  
  
"Next time she can check with me. Twenty five points."  
  
Hermione sighed and Vinnie rolled her eyes as they made their way to the table where Harry and Ron were seated. Hermione noticed they had this class with Slytherin. How humiliating. She noticed Malfoy and his cronies looking especially pleased. He was about to open his mouth to make some rude comment but Snape spoke first.  
  
"Today we are going to begin preparing pumpkin seeds to be used in a sedative. Take out your mortar and pestle. Mr. Malfoy, pass out these seeds."  
  
Malfoy rose and walked past Vinnie. She was prettier than expected, seeing how most Gryffindor girls are ugly. Especially Granger. He walked past their table again and whispered,"Made a new friend, Furry? Hope your hair doesn't eat her."  
  
Ron replied for Hermione with a certain one-fingered gesture. Malfoy simply smirked and went back to his seat.  
  
"Who was that?" Vinnie whispered to Hermione.  
  
"Draco Malfoy. He's a rich, snotty pureblood who thinks he's better than everyone else because his daddy has money."  
  
Vinnie was disappointed but not shocked. He was good-looking but, of course, a jerk. He probably played Quidditch.  
  
"Miss Sinclair, I'm afraid I only allow three students to a table. Move back by Miss Brown and Miss Patil," Snape said.  
  
Vinnie rolled her eyes again and Hermione gave her a sympathetic look. She had met Lavender and Parvati the night before and was amazed at their shallowness. It was going to be a long class, chock full of babble about psychics, nail polish, and who knows what else that would give her a headache. How fun. She picked up her cauldron and walked to their table. She couldn't wait until Quidditch tryouts. 


	3. The Tryouts

Chapter 3: The Tryouts  
  
When courses were over for the day, Vinnie got her Nimbus 2001 from her dorm and followed Harry to the Quidditch field. This was the most excited she'd been since she found out she was moving to England. When she arrived at the field, she noticed a Slytherin giving her the evil eye. Was it Slabbe or Boyle? Flabbe? Foyle? Close enough. She kept walking and noticed a boy with white-blonde hair. Malfoy. So he does play.  
  
"Attention everyone!" Madam Hooch yelled. "We are about to begin. If you already have a position, go to the sidelines until you are called. Those of you trying out will be divided up by position."  
  
There were only two students trying out to be seekers. The other person was a second year Hufflepuff named Tim. He was freakishly tiny and Vinnie doubted he would make it. For about half an hour, Vinnie and Tim did various flying exercises until Madam Hooch brought over a practice snitch.  
  
"I want you two to catch the snitch. I want to see if you have what it takes. Watch out for the bludgers at the other end. Ready.set.GO!"  
  
Madam Hooch let go of the snitch and the duo watched it fly away for a second before Vinnie took off. Tim was using a school broom and struggled to keep up with her. The snitch zipped through one of the goalhoops and was headed towards the ground.  
  
Harry was absently watching Vinnie and Tim chase the snitch. Actually, Vinnie was the only one chasing it. Tim was flying spastically in circles behind her. Harry laughed.  
  
"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Potty," Malfoy sneered. "Looks like you've got some competition."  
  
"She is good, and I wouldn't mind her taking my spot if it meant more trouble for you," Harry came back, stretching the truth a bit.  
  
"Oh please, Potter," Malfoy spat. "You know you'd rather see the Dark Lord rise again than lose your spot." Malfoy knew this would set Harry off but he didn't care. He was a few inches taller than Harry, and stronger, so it wouldn't be much of a fight. He's wanted to pound Harry since first year and was sick of him getting all the attention, the stupid bas-  
  
"What did you say, Malfoy?" Harry demanded, tossing his Firebolt down. "You heard me."  
  
And with that Harry gave Malfoy a shove, who in turn pushed him right back. Harry then took a swing but missed. Malfoy swung back and hit Harry in the jaw, almost knocking him over.  
  
Above, Vinnie saw the two begin to fight and noticed the snitch was heading straight at them. Not fabulous. But she also noticed the snitch was only about a foot out of arm's reach. Fabulous! She leaned forward and extended her arm, urging her broom on. She almost had the snitch when she realized she was only about 30 feet away from Harry and Malfoy, who were now engaged in a full out brawl. She decided to go for the snitch anyway. She grabbed it but barely had enough time to shout "WATCH OUT!" before barreling into them and falling off of her broom. Madam Hooch heard the crash and came running.  
  
"Did you catch it! Ah, yes! Wonderful! Dangerous, but wonderful! Are any of you hurt? No? Good. Congratulations, Miss Sinclair, you're Mr. Potter's substitute."  
  
The students gingerly stood up and checked themselves for injury.  
  
"Sorry about that," Vinnie said sheepishly. "I thought I had enough time."  
  
"It's fine," Harry said quickly and led her away before Malfoy could comment. "Congratulations. Let's go tell Ron and Hermione." 


	4. Receiving Detention

Chapter 4: Receiving Detention  
  
The first couple of months of school went smoothly. Malfoy made sure to insult the Gryffindors but not to make any physical threats, seeing how he had received one of his own from Ron. Hermione was excelling in the classroom as usual, while Harry excelled on the field. Vinnie was adjusting nicely and was enjoying Hogwarts, except for Potions. That was when Malfoy seemed to be the most vocal and, annoyingly, Professor Snape rarely did anything about it.  
  
Today, Malfoy was holding Goyle's cauldron over his head, imitating Hermione's hair, much to his fellow Slytherin's amusement. Vinnie felt sorry for Hermione so she stupidly dared Lavender to throw something at Malfoy to make him stop.  
  
"What are you doing?! I didn't think you'd listen to me!" Vinnie cried.  
  
"What? You dared me to so I-"  
  
"Who threw this?" Malfoy demanded, holding up a cloth with green slimy goop on it. He turned to Vinnie's table. "It came from over there."  
  
"What's going on?" Snape asked.  
  
"Professor, somebody thought it would be funny to throw this at me," Malfoy explained, turning to face Snape at the front of the room. Vinnie could see where the cloth at hit him on the back of the neck. She wondered where Lavender had found the cloth and tried to stifle a laugh.  
  
"And what is so funny, Miss Sinclair?" Snape interrogated. "Perhaps you know who threw that disgusting thing at Mr. Malfoy."  
  
"Nope. Didn't see a thing."  
  
"Well, it came from your table," Malfoy said. "Are you so dumb you'd miss something flying through the air?"  
  
"I'm not so dumb that people throw stuff at me."  
  
Malfoy threw the cloth down. "Excuse me? Did you just insult me? I'm a Malfoy! You can't do that!"  
  
"I just did!"  
  
By now the classroom had gone silent and everyone was staring at Malfoy and Vinnie. Even Snape looked shocked. No students had blatantly argued that way in his class before. He rose behind his desk, unsure of what to do.  
  
"Both of you sit! Ten points from Gryffindor." There, that always fixed things.  
  
"For what?" Vinnie exploded. "For defending myself?"  
  
"For disrupting my class. Now sit or I'll make it 15."  
  
"What is your problem? You can't treat people like this! And you can't let him just walk around like he's king!"  
  
"He can let me act however I want. I'm in his house, it's his choice," Malfoy said smugly.  
  
"Why do you think you're so much better than everyone else?" Vinnie asked in a disgusted tone of voice.  
  
"Because I am. My father-"  
  
"Is a Death Eater. You think that's so great?"  
  
"You - how - er - what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"I mean your father is a loser and a disgrace to the wizarding world! And I hope he gets what he deserves!" Vinnie yelled.  
  
Malfoy was stupefied. No one had ever, ever dared to say anything like that about his father to his face. He took a deep breath and let out his worst.  
  
"Yeah well, at least I know who my father is!" She probably did know but she had never mentioned him. Too bad for her. He smirked. Vinnie, on the other hand, looked like she might cry.  
  
"Don't say things you don't know anything about." She was trying very hard to remain calm but felt her eyes watering anyway. How dare he? He had no idea what she had gone through.  
  
Malfoy suddenly felt slightly guilty. He hadn't intended for her to react this way. Hermione got up to comfort her friend while everyone else sat there awkwardly. Malfoy opened his mouth to speak again but Snape cut him off.  
  
"That is enough!" he roared. He was so shocked he wasn't sure what to do next. He couldn't just take away points; Dumbledore would have a fit. One of his students had reduced another to tears. This called for,  
  
"Detention! Both of you! Starting Monday for a week! Now, everyone sit down and if I hear one more word out of anyone, for any reason, their house will lose 50 points!" Hermione went back to her seat as Malfoy and Vinnie sat down. Detention meant spending time after school in the same room as Malfoy, Snape's perfect little student. Great. Just what she needed. Luckily, it was Friday and she would have the entire weekend to prepare herself. 


	5. Gillyweed and Hallucinations

Chapter 5: Gillyweed and Hallucinations  
  
Monday afternoon came too quickly for Vinnie and Malfoy. Vinnie was worried about what Snape would make them do. Probably slave labor. Malfoy was afraid that Vinnie would want an apology. Malfoys never apologize. They entered the hallway at the same time and avoided each other's eyes. They walked in silence a few feet apart until they reached Snape's door. Vinnie went in first.  
  
"Finally," Snape commented. "Thought you weren't going to show up. That would have been most unfortunate for you. Another unfortunate thing is, you won't be having me for detention all week. Professor McGonagall needs assistance cleaning her classroom. But today you're helping me identify and label." He pointed to at least 50 bottles on a nearby table; each filled with something different. "New supplies," he continued. "The dimwit who delivered it forgot the parchment so I'm not sure what everything is. You'll have to examine them, and label them."  
  
"Aren't we only supposed to be here for an hour?" Vinnie asked. "We have Quidditch practice."  
  
"I suggest you hurry then," Snape said coolly as he spun around and went to his desk. Vinnie muttered something under her breath and walked over to the table. Malfoy grumpily followed, hoping that examining didn't include touching. He always made Crabbe and Goyle touch things in Snape's class.  
  
They worked in silence for 15 minutes, each of them identifying only two things. Vinnie sighed. Was she trying to identify gillyweed or camoweed? She knew that if they were going to be done in time to get to Quidditch, they would have to work together. How revolting.  
  
"Malfoy," she began carefully, not wanting a repeat of Friday," do you think this is gillyweed?  
  
Malfoy looked up. Was she seriously asking him? He had no idea what it was. Truthfully, he had no idea what he'd labeled. He was simply 'working' at the same pace she was so Snape wouldn't suspect anything.  
  
"Um.well, it could be. Maybe."  
  
"Hmm. Well, let's see what you've got." She reached over and picked up Malfoy's bottles. One said 'Mandrake Lips' and the other said 'Gillyweed.' "Malfoy, this can't be Gillyweed."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It's purple! Gillyweed is green!"  
  
He paused. Maybe he could pretend he was colorblind. He didn't want to look like an idiot. "Oh, I must have missed that," he said a bit naively. Sharpening his tone, he snapped, "Well, if you're so smart, what do you think it is?"  
  
Vinnie was quickly flipping though a book. She replied without looking up. "Thanks for the compliment, but my being smart comes from using this book. You do know how to read, don't you?" Realizing it was remarks like that that began fights, she mumbled, "Sorry."  
  
Malfoy was clearly annoyed but managed to say, "Fine. Let's just get this over with so we can leave. Give me that book."  
  
"Get your own!"  
  
Suddenly, Snape called to them from the front of the room. "I hope you two aren't fighting instead of working. I'd hate to see you miss Quidditch practice." Honestly, he would hate to see Malfoy miss practice. He was their best player. But Dumbledore insisted the pair not leave until the bottles were finished. How extremely irritating. He watched them get back to work. Vinnie was calling out names and Malfoy hurriedly wrote them down and located the correct bottles. He would no doubt have to check their work later.  
  
They finally finished half an hour into Quidditch practice and sprinted out the door. Snape walked over to their table and picked up a bottle. They had mislabeled gillyweed.  
  
Tuesday afternoon, they were back in Snape's classroom re-labeling the bottles they had done incorrectly. Sadly, they had only gotten 8 out of 52 correct. And even worse, neither of them had practice so they had no excuse not to get it right. So far, they had been there an hour and a half and identified - correctly - seven things.  
  
Vinnie had a headache and was noticing how she was doing most of the work. Malfoy made the occasional lame guess but mostly wrote down what Vinnie told him to. She suddenly had a brilliant idea.  
  
"Let's switch."  
  
Malfoy went pale. He didn't know how to identify anything! Even with the book! Crabbe and Goyle did most of the work while he just copied. But he had to play it cool. "Sure," he said casually.  
  
Vinnie watched him fumble through his book for 10 minutes, not finding a thing. He was turning red, probably out of frustration. She felt a little sorry for him.  
  
"Do you want some help?"  
  
"No," he said curtly. " I know what I'm doing. I just.can't really.find." "Check the index."  
  
Malfoy scowled and flipped to the back of the book. Five more minutes went by and he still found nothing. Vinnie walked around the table and sat next to him.  
  
"Are you sure you don't need help?"  
  
"If you know what you're doing, why are all but eight bottles mislabeled?"  
  
"Because you put the labels on the wrong bottles, butthead."  
  
Malfoy laughed. Butthead. He hadn't heard that one in a while. He sighed. "Alright. Help me."  
  
Snape was watching them from his desk. Was he hallucinating or were a Slytherin and a Gryffindor actually being civil to each other? He went back to his parchment but looked up a few seconds later when he heard Vinnie say, "It looks like Crabbe!" She was pointing to something in the book and Malfoy smiled.  
  
"You can't make fun of him! He's my friend," Malfoy said, trying to be defensive.  
  
"You make fun of my friends," Vinnie pointed out.  
  
"Your friends are dorks."  
  
"Your friends are Crabbe and Goyle." Vinnie laughed hysterically at her own joke and Malfoy let a laugh slip out before he could stop it.  
  
Snape decided he was hallucinating after all. Not only were they being civil, they were getting along. They continued to work cheerfully for another hour and a half before leaving. Snape walked back to their table. Every bottle was labeled correctly. 


End file.
